Drawing upon value chain and resource-based view, discuss the company’s source(s) of competitive advantage

Further information about general assessment criteria, ARTA regulations, referencing and plagiarism can be found on the module’s site on the e-Learning Portal. Students are advised to read and follow this information.

Instructions on Assessment:
The module assessment comprises of an INDIVIDUAL research-based assignment that requires you to write a report that represents 100% of the module mark. You are required to produce one word processed report covering all four parts of the assessment.

Assessment

Note: Fictitious scenario

In the clothing industry, there has been incredible turbulence in the industry value chain over the last decade. For many firms in the industry, sustainability in supply chains, the fashion cycle and the retail environment are key concerns. In a strategic review, the board of directors of Patagonia (Patagonia.com) are considering strategic options.

Instructions on Assessment

You are required to produce a 3500-word essay based on the following tasks:

An introduction to the company and its current approach to corporate responsibility and sustainability (10%)
With reference to the triple bottom line (and other appropriate theory), discuss the key dilemmas involved in being an ‘ethical’ company. Ensure your answer is theoretically grounded and relates to the sector and organizational context outlined in the scenario (30%)
Drawing upon value chain and resource-based view, discuss the company’s source(s) of competitive advantage (30%)
With reference to your answer to part (1), (2) and (3), argue for a strategic proposal that can further enhance the company’s source(s) of competitive advantage, and supports one or more of the 17 UN SDG themes (30%)

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING GUIDANCE NOTES CAREFULLY!

Assignment Guidance Notes:
Word Count
The word limit for the overall assignment is 3500 words (+/- 10%).
The word count is to be declared on the front page of your assignment.
The word count does not include title page, contents page, glossary, tables, figures, illustrations, reference list, bibliography, and appendices.
This is a research-based assignment. Your analytical discussion must be supported by relevant sources of information, both academic and non-academic (using in-text citations).
Clarity and concision are encouraged and will be rewarded. You should be critical, evaluative, and detailed in your analysis.
Summarising and compressing the information in your assignment into the word limit is one of the skills that students are expected to acquire and demonstrate as part of the assignment process.
The reports should have the following structure: Cover page (with the module code, title, word count, your programme and student ID) Table of contents (with the page numbers) Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 List of references Appendices (if any).

Word limits and penalties for assignments

If the assignment is within +10% of the stated word limit no penalty will apply. However, if the word limit exceeds the +10% limit, 10% of the mark provisionally awarded to the assignment will be deducted. For example: if the assignment is worth 70% but is above the word limit by more than 10%, a penalty of 7% will be imposed, giving a final mark of 63%.

Submission of Assessment:

You MUST submit ONLY an electronic copy of the assignment in PDF format through Turnitin FINAL assignment submission link on the module eLP before the deadline.
Hardcopy submissions will not be accepted.
You must retain an electronic copy of this assignment, and the Turnitin digital receipt.
You can submit draft assignments through the Turnitin DRAFT assignment submission link and you will receive a Turnitin similarity report that will compare your assignment to previously submitted or published work.
Marked assignments will be returned to students via the eLP and the marks will be available under Grade Mark on the eLP.
It is important that you retain a copy of your assignment for your own records.

Referencing your work

The APA method of referencing uses the author’s name and the date of the publication. In-text citations give brief details of the work you are referring to in your text. For example:

Coutu (2009) found that every team needs a deviant. There are many examples of where teams go wrong (Coutu, 2009)

References are listed at the end of the text in alphabetical order by the author’s name. The general format of an electronic journal reference in the APA style is shown below:

Coutu, D. (2009). Why Teams Don’t Work. Harvard Business Review, 87(5), 98-105. Retrieved from EBSCO http://searchebscohost.com

Author/s name and initials are listed first, followed by year of publication in brackets. Then there is the title of article and the journal where the article appears, which is in italics. Then state the volume and issue number (in brackets) along with the pages where article can be located. Finally add the name of the database, followed by the web address. Wherever possible use the homepage URL rather than the full and extended web address.

For further information on why it is important to reference accurately go to the Referencing and Plagiarism topic in Skills Plus available from the Library website:
www.northumbria.ac.uk/skillsplus

You will find other useful help guides on Skills Plus to help you with the skills involved in writing your assessments and preparing for exams.

Plagiarism and Cheating

Your attention is drawn to the University’s stated position on plagiarism. THE WORK OF OTHERS, WHICH IS INCLUDED IN THE ASSIGNMENT MUST BE ATTRIBUTED TO ITS SOURCE (a full bibliography and/or a list of references must be submitted as prescribed in the assessment brief).
For further information on the APA style of referencing see the Concise Rules of APA Style located in the Library at 808.06615/CON and the APA website http://www.apastyle.org/learn

Please note that this is intended to be an individual piece of work. Action will be taken where a student is suspected of having cheated or engaged in any dishonest practice. Students are referred to the University regulations on plagiarism and other forms of academic irregularity. Students must not copy or collude with one another or present any information that they themselves have not generated.

The Assessment Regulations for Taught Awards (ARTA) contain the Regulations and procedures applying to cheating, plagiarism, and other forms of academic misconduct. The full policy is available at: http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/sd/central/ar/qualitysupport/asspolicies/ You are reminded that plagiarism, collusion and other forms of academic misconduct as referred to in the Academic Misconduct procedure of the assessment regulations are taken very seriously by Newcastle Business School. Assignments in which evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct is found may receive a mark of zero. Please, be guided.